Messias Felix and Nathaniel Curran advance to Round 2 of inaugural Hainan Classic
The opening day of the inaugural Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 4-Star Hainan Classic continued to deliver a heavy dose of thrilling surfing action during the fifth and sixth heat of Round 1 (Round of 64) that went down at Wanning in Hainan Island,
China, on Wednesday, January 11.
The fifth heat saw Brazil’s Messias Felix walk away with a convincing victory to confirm his place in Round 2 (Round of 32). Ireland’s Glenn Hall successfully made the Round 2 cut as well by securing runner-up position. Australia’s Dane Bird and Japan’s
Kato Ohashi got eliminated from the competition after rounding out the third and fourth position respectively.
America’s Nathaniel Curran clinched top honours in the sixth heat to advance through into the next round. He was joined by Argentina’s Leandro Usuna who finished in runner-up place to extend his life in the event. Peru’s Carlo Zapata finished in third place,
while China’s Yu Miao finished fourth, consequently getting removed from the contention for the event title.
Competing in International Surfing Association (ISA) China Cup had allowed Felix to gain local knowledge of the waves, making him much more comfortable in the conditions at hand as compared to his rival. The Brazilian capitalised on the advantage to make
the most of the three-to-five foot waves on offer. Catching his first business-wave half-way through the heat, Felix posted an 8.40 on the score-board before unloading a string of exquisite tricks on his second-business wave to earn 9.00 points for the effort.
The resultant two-wave total of 17.40 points turned out to be a decisive one, sealing the fate of the battle in his favour.
Even though Hall put on a remarkable performance, his efforts only served to earn him runner-up place. He kicked off the proceedings with an 8.17-point wave and later added an 8.33 to his account to finish with a heat-total of 16.50 points.
Bird finished in third place with a heat-total of 10.93 points, while Ohashi finished fourth with a heat-total of 10.13 points. The lacklustre performances by the two surfers led to a premature end to the competition for them.
The sixth heat saw Curran get off to a slow start before making a late charge. He scored an impressive 8.40 off his first business-wave and immediately followed it up with a 7.10-point wave to finish with a heat-total of 15.50 points. The score remain unchallenged
and thus carried him off to victory.
Usuna remained pretty impressive throughout the heat as well, collecting a 6.67 and 7.50-point wave. Finishing in runner-up place, he successfully made the Round 2 cut as well.
Zapata finished in third place with a heat-total of 13.83 points, which comprised of a 7.50 and 6.33-point wave, whereas the first-ever male Chinese surfer competing in an ASP event, Miao, finished last with a heat-total of 2.27 points. The bottom-two finish
marked the end of the road for both the surfers, removing them from the competition field.
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